California Governor's Office of Emergency Services renewed an FCC waiver request to test the wireless emergency alert system to transmit early earthquake warnings, after canceling a December test to focus on responding to wildfires (see 1811300008). The test is now planned for Feb. 6, between 11 a.m. and noon PST, in Oakland, in partnership with the U.S. Geological survey, said a Cal OES letter posted Thursday in docket 15-91: The test will assess the feasibility of "transmitting a ShakeAlert through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) WEA system to warn the public of imminent ground motion during an earthquake." If Feb. 6 isn't available, Feb. 13 at the same time would be a backup, the office said. Aliso Viejo and Laguna Beach, California, sought FCC waivers to allow commercial mobile service providers to participate in WEA tests on Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. PST. The tests are to ensure local officials understand how alerts will perform in their cities, which face natural hazards, including wildfires, said their requests (here and here).
The FCC will investigate the nationwide CenturyLink outage that disrupted 911 service for many Americans, Chairman Ajit Pai said Friday. At our deadline, the carrier was still working to resolve the multistate outage that began Thursday (see 1812270050). The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) said the outage shows urgent need to fully deploy next-generation 911. NARUC and state consumer advocates applauded FCC action.
Early results of the first nationwide test of the wireless emergency alert system show “uneven” reception, the FCC Public Safety Bureau found from the October test of WEA and the emergency alert system (see 1810030051). Friday's public notice had more details for the EAS test, which wasn't a first, than for the WEA one because wireless test reporting isn't required, unlike for EAS. After surveying emergency communications representatives for most states and national industry associations, we found that officials, too, had better success with EAS tests. The report also squared with government predictions.
SiriusXM asked FCC staff to OK the company's emergency alert system request (see 1811070047). The company says not all the satellite-radio provider's channels can carry such alerts "in a way that would trigger a downstream broadcaster’s own EAS alert," and EAS participants could monitor only the two SiriusXM free preview channels. It said the record appears complete after the Federal Emergency Management Agency OK'd (see page 3) use of SiriusXM satellites as alternative EAS monitoring sources for only those two channels, Sirius network Channel 184 and XM Radio network Channel 1, and the commission's comment cycle ended. A lawyer for the company reported in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 15-94 that he and others met Public Safety Bureau Deputy Chief Nicole McGinnis and Policy and Licensing Division Deputy Chief Greg Cooke.
The Senate passed the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act Monday under unanimous consent. Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., filed S-3238 in July in a bid to further address emergency alert system issues highlighted by a January false alarm in Hawaii (see 1801160054). S-3238 would require the FCC set best practices for delivering emergency alerts in a bid to streamline the alerting process. It would update the process for creating and approving state plans and examine the feasibility of expanding EAS to also distribute warnings to online streaming services (see 1807180053). The false missile alert “highlighted real ways we can improve the way people receive emergency alerts,” Schatz said. “Our bill fixes some of these issues and will help make sure that in an emergency, the public gets the right information they need as quickly as possible.” NAB praised passage.
The FCC is looking at all possibilities in the 5.9 GHz band, including reallocating it for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use, Chairman Ajit Pai said on an episode of C-SPAN's The Communicators, set for telecast over the weekend. Pai confirmed that, as expected, he plans to take a broader look at the band, which is now allocated to dedicated short-range communications (see 1811140061). Pai didn’t offer a time frame or other details. Industry officials said his comments go further than anything he previously has said on the topic.
The FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council approved a recommendation Thursday that new rules aimed at protecting the national security of networks be narrowly tailored to prevent disruptions. Commissioners approved an NPRM in April that would bar use of money in any USF program to buy equipment or services from companies that “pose a national security threat” to U.S. communications networks or the communications supply chain (see 1804170038). Chairman Ajit Pai said Wednesday those security concerns remain a commission focus (see 1812120043).
With all state resources dedicated to wildfire recovery, the California Office of Emergency Services is canceling a wireless emergency alert test for earthquake early warnings, Cal OES told the FCC, posted Thursday in docket 15-91. Cal OES withdrew its waiver request to let mobile carriers participate in the WEA test: It's "important that any test have adequate public outreach in advance, which is not feasible due to the essential functions public information officers and other members of the Cal OES provide during large scale recovery efforts.” The agency plans a December call “to assess future test options.” California's test had been scheduled for Dec. 11 (see 1811130062). The Virginia Department of Emergency Management sought a waiver, posted Friday, for WEA tests in Williamsburg, Newport News and several counties. The tests would occur Dec. 12 at 11:10 a.m. for Surry Nuclear Power Station and Feb. 20 at the same time for North Anna Nuclear Power Station. They would occur at the same time as regularly scheduled sirens and emergency alert system tests, saying: "THIS IS A TEST OF THE VIRGINIA EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM. NO ACTION IS REQUIRED."
Montgomery County, Texas, is seeking a waiver from the FCC Public Safety Bureau to allow it to test the wireless emergency alert system, said a letter posted Thursday in docket 15-91. The county Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management wants to do three tests in December to gauge the system as a whole and to test geolocation: “During Hurricane Harvey we noted a potential loss of messages, where some of our constituents informed us that they may not have received our alerts.”
Three West Coast House Democrats, including House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff, Calif., seek additional signatures on a coming letter to President Donald Trump's administration urging officials to include “robust” funding in its FY 2020 budget for the U.S. Geological Survey for development of the ShakeAlert Pacific earthquake early warning system. The system, set for full implementation by 2020, aims to communicate advance warnings of earthquakes to residents in California, Oregon and Washington via messages on mobile devices and computers. California's Office of Emergency Services wants an FCC waiver to test ShakeAlert using the wireless emergency alert system (see 1811130062). Congress has appropriated funding for ShakeAlert in every federal cycle since FY 2015, which helped the U.S. make “steady progress toward having an operational system,” said Schiff and Reps. Peter DeFazio, Ore., and Derek Kilmer, Wash., in a draft letter to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. “Congress has been steadfast in its support for the system, and we need the Administration to demonstrate its support for the system level.” ShakeAlert's efficacy “largely depends on modern cyber infrastructure, and the number and placement of ground motion sensors to ensure there is adequate coverage wherever an earthquake may hit -- and this requires additional resources,” the lawmakers said. “Congress recognizes the value of this system and continues to demonstrate its commitment by providing additional resources.”